Wall blocks are used in various landscaping projects and are available in a wide variety of styles. Such wall blocks have gained popularity because they are mass produced and, consequently, relatively inexpensive. They are structurally sound, easy and relatively inexpensive to install, and couple the durability of concrete or any other suitable material with the attractiveness of various architectural finishes. The shape of the block is also an important feature during the construction of a wall or other structure with the wall blocks. There are advantages to having non-parallel side surfaces on these blocks when constructing a wall. The angles formed by these side surfaces permit construction of curvilinear walls, and moreover, permit the amount of curvature to vary according to the terrain and desired appearance of the wall. Numerous methods and materials exist for the construction of walls and other structures with such blocks.
Another important feature of wall blocks is the appearance of the block. Typically, wall blocks are manufactured to have the desired appearance on the front face (i.e., the outer face of a wall) only. Many manufacturers vary the color and the texture or pattern on this front face as desired because creating a random pattern in the face of a wall or other structure is highly desirable. Alternatively, manufacturers may produce multiple block shapes/sizes for use in the construction of a wall or other structure to create a random pattern in the structure and to give the visually exposed surfaces of the structure a more overall irregular or non-repeating appearance. This is inefficient from a production standpoint because this requires multiple molds and more kinds of blocks to inventory. If only one face of the block is intended to be the front face, then the block system will suffer a trade-off between having enough face sizes to create a random, natural appearance and the cost and inefficiency of using multiple molds and creating multiple inventory items.
It would be desirable to provide a system of blocks for constructing a wall or other structure that combines the ease of installation of modern segmental wall block units with the attractive appearance of a random, irregularly patterned wall composed of wall blocks of varying face embodiments with only one size of block. The block system should be efficient, easy to use and allow the construction of walls with 90 degree corners and the construction of freestanding walls and other structures. It would also be desirable to provide a wall block and multiple wall block embodiments that could be used in multiple orientations to maximize the random appearance of any exposed surface of the structure constructed with the blocks.